Removable guide needle

ABSTRACT

A removable guide needle is provided for use with a flexible catheter tube in withdrawing or introducing fluids relative to a body, the guide needle having handle means associated therewith which provides controlled insertion and removal from the body with subsequent detachment from the flexible catheter tube in an expeditious manner.

United States Patent James A. was Racine, W13.

Apr. 10. 1969 July I3, [97] mild: Tool WWII Inc. Chica o, m.

Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee nmovuu: cUmE NEEDLE 5 Chile,7 Drawlng Figs.

user. 128/2144,

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in. CL A6Im s/oo rm Search 128/214, 214.4,zzm47, mo. 16; 206/56 AAPrimary Examiner Dalton L. Truluck Alt0mey.r Robert W. Beart, MichaelKovac, Barry L. Clark and Jack R. Halvorsen ABSTRACT: A removable guideneedle is provided for use with a flexible catheter tube in withdrawingor introducing fluids relative to a body, the guide needle having handlemeans associated therewith which provides controlled insertion andremoval from the body with subsequent detachment from the flexiblecatheter tube in an expeditious manner.

PATENTEDJuLmmn 3,592 193 IN VENTUR. v James A. Hugg/ns REMOVABLE GUIDENEEDLE Current surgical techniques, in making blood transfusions orwhere intravenous feeding is involved, have utilized various types ofhypodermic needles which are connected to flexible catheter tubesdesigned to carry fluids to or from the body. After the venipuncture hasbeen made by the needle, the catheter is then ready for insertion intothe patient for the purpose of withdrawing or introducing fluidsrelative to the body, as may be desired. In most instances where thistype of surgical apparatus has been used, the needle has been retainedon the catheter tube; however, this not only creates potential hazardsto the patient, but also, as is more likely, much discomfort isexperienced by the patient. Various makeshift approaches which have beentried in an attempt to avoid injury or discomfort to the patient haveincluded taping of the needle to the arm or other member of the patient,shielding the needle in one fashion or another, or contriving variousexpedients as may be thought necessary by the nurse or doctor involved.It will be apparent that the difficulties inherent in various individualexpedients at the time of using the needleretained surgical apparatushave created nonuniform and undesirable surgical procedures.

The present invention is directed to those types of surgical apparatuswhere a removable guide needle is provided for use with a flexiblecatheter tube, such that the needle may be laterally removed anddetached from the catheter after making the venipuncture. Specifically,the present invention is an improvement over the removable guide needleconstruction shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,978 in that if facilitatesremoval or detachment of the needle from the catheter.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved, removableguide needle construction for use with a flexible catheter tube whereinthe guide needle may be laterally removed and detached from the catheterwithout difflculty.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a guideneedle of the aforementioned type which provides controlled insertioninto a vein or other passageway of the body while also permitting quickand easy detachment from the catheter tube.

Other objects of the present invention include the provision of aremovable guide needle of the type described above which is simple inconstruction, compactly configured, adapted for economical and massmanufacturing techniques, provides greater versatility in use, allowslonger periods of installation, affords greater comfort to the patient,obviates hazards to the patient, and is otherwise well adapted for thepurposes intended.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention areattained by the provision of a removable guide needle which is designedfor use with a flexible catheter in withdrawing or introducing fluidsrelative to a body, the needle comprising a one-piece, elongated, hollowelement into which the catheter is inserted, the hollow element having alongitudinal separation along the length thereof and being formed topermit opening of the hollow element along its longitudinal separation,one end of the hollow element being configured for introduction into avein or other passageway of a body and the other end of the hollowelement having handle means. the handle means including a pair ofintegral wing sec tions which are located on opposite sides of thelongitudinal separation and being initially juxtaposed relative to oneanother, corresponding portions of each wing section overlapping oneanother and the remaining portions of the wing sections beinglongitudinally offset from one another by an amount sufficien to permitseparation thereof and consequent opening of the hollow element alongthe longitudinal separation for lateral removal and detachment from thecatheter.

Reference is now made to the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is urn enlarged perspective view of a removable guide needlewhich is constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is also an enlarged perspective view of the guide needle of thepresent invention, but showing the manner in which the needle isseparated for lateral removal and detachment from a flexible catheter;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, of the guideneedle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the guide needle depicted in FIG. 3and on the same scale,

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the guide needle blank which is initiallyformed in the guide needle manufacture;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view illustrating two forms of modifiedguide needle constructions, one of the modifications being shownpartially in dotted lines; and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the blank forming the two modified forms ofguide needle constructions shown in FIG. 6, one feature of one of themodified views being shown in dotted lines as in FIG. 6.

Referring first to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, there will be seena removable guide needle 10 which comprises a one-piece elongatedelement having a hollow body section II with integral handle means 14 atone end thereof, the handle means I4 includes a pair of juxtaposed wingelements 16, 18 at the rear or distal end of the elongated hollow bodysection 12. At the front or proximal end of the hollow body section 12,a sharpened needle portion 20 is provided for puncturing the skin,tissues, and vein of the body where the needle I0 is inserted.

The hollow body section 12 of the guide needle I0 includes alongitudinal separation 22 along the upper surface thereof and extendingthroughout the entire length of the hollow body section I2 including theintegral wing elements 16, 18. Preferably, the hollow guide needle 10 isalso provided with a scored or otherwise weakened hinge section 24, asbest seen in FIG. 5, to facilitate opening of the hollow body section 12along the longitudinal separation 22 and about the scored or otherwiseweakened hinge section 24.

The hollow guide needle 10 is preferably formed as a onepiece blank asshown in FIG. 5 and then formed into the position as shown in FIGS. 1and 3-4. The guide needle 10 is preferably stamped or blanked fromstainless steel having a thickness of 0.006 inches to provide asanitary, noncorrosive element which has the strength and flexibilityfor the intended purposes. It will be understood, however, that othertypes of materials, such as various types of thermoplastic orcombinations of metal and plastic laminates or the like may be utilizedin achieving the advantages which are sought after by the presentinvention.

As an important feature of the present invention, the integral wingsections, which form the handle means 14, are configured and arranged tonot only provide controlled insertion of the needle into the desiredvein of the body, but also facilitates simple and rapid manipulativeremoval of the guide needle if! from the flexible catheter tube 25illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. In FIG. 2 of the drawing, theflexible catheter tube 25 is shown as being deposited within thechannellike shaped hollow body section I2 of the needle when opened upalong the longitudinal separation 22. It is to be understood that theflexible catheter tube 25 is deposited within the hollow body section 12of the needle 10 during the insertion of the needle within the body, andafter venipuncture has been made, the catheter tube is inserted into thevein, and the needle 10 is withdrawn from the body along the flexiblecatheter tube. As explained in the introduction of this application,many difficulties have been encountered in the guide needle once thevenipuncture has been made and the catheter tube is in position.

According to the present invention the handle means 14 comprises a pairof longitudinally offset juxtaposed wing elements 16, 18 as is readilyobservable in the drawing. Each of the wing sections 16, I8 in the FIGS.1-5 embodiment have a general trapezoidal configuration as can bereadily depicted from an inspection of the drawing. The wing elementsl6, 18 are configured to provide overlapped portions resulting fromareas of the wing elements which overlap and contact each other. This isadvantageous in providing a large, relatively wide gripping area for thehandle means in the insertion of and removal of the guide needlerelative to a body part.

The juxtaposed wing elements l6. l8 also provide longitudinally offsetportions which have been designated 16a, 180 respectively. Theselongitudinally offset wing portions 160, l8a are offset and separatedfrom one another by an amount which is sufficient to permit separationof the wing sections l6, l8 and consequent opening of the hollow element12 along the longitudinal separation 22. The wing portions 160. 18 thuspermit grasping thereof by the nurse or attendant administering thepatient for the purpose of separating the wing sections l6, l8 andopening up the hollow element 12 along the longitudinal separation 22for removing and detaching the guide needle from the catheter.

Since the guide needle 10 is preferably manufactured from thin sheetstock material, as indicated above, it is desirable to providereinforcing struts in the wing elements, and such have been provided inthe present instance and have been designated 26, 28 for the wingsections 16, 18 respectively. It will be noted that the reinforcingstruts 26, 28 comprise formed grooves which are arranged innoninterfitting relationship on the wing elements l6, 18 so that theseportions do not interfit one within the other. As can be seen in FIG. 4,the reinforcing struts 26, 28 are each inwardly directed embossmentswhich provide contact means for spacing the wing sec tions l6, 18. It isdesirable to have such means for a twofold reason, first, the struts 26,28 provide a point or line contact between opposed struts whichprecludes surface adhesion of the wing sections l6, 18 therebyfacilitating separation of the wing sections l6, 18 during removal fromthe catheter and, second, the struts 26, 28 act as protuberances whichposition the wing sections l6, 18 in a spaced substantially parallelrelation perpendicular to the axis of the needle thereby facilitatingmanufacture as well as grasping of the needle by the nurse or technicianduring manipulative usage. Other geometric forms can be substituted toaccomplish this function. This additionally precludes the grasping ofthe wings from altering the diameter of the inside of the needle and itsresultant impinge ment on the catheter.

Two modified forms of the invention are shown in FIGS. 6-7 of thedrawing. The hollow guide needle 30 shown in these particularembodiments, including the hollow body section 32, are similar to thehollow guide needle 10 in the FIGS. l5 embodiment with the exception ofthe handle means 34.

The two embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-7 differ in the form of the handlemeans 34 by the dotted and full line representations. Referring first tothe embodiment depicted in full lines. it will be seen that the handlemeans 34 comprises rectangularly shaped wing sections l6, 18 whichextend substantially normal from the hollow body section 32. Each ofthewing sections l6, 18 provide the longitudinally offset and overlappedportions as in the FIG. 15 embodiment to achieve the desired objectiveof the present invention.

if desired, the wing sections l6, 18 may take other shapes andconfigurations as indicated by the dotted line represent-a tions as inFIGS. 67. It will be readily observable that the dotted lines in FIGS,6-7, when considered in conjunction with the full line wing elements l6,18, form triangularly shaped wing sections which are also capable ofproviding overlapped and offset sections as in the two embodimentspreviously discussed. Other configurations and arrangements, along thelines discussed, are, of course, possible within the scope of thepresent invention.

From the foregoing it will now be appreciated that the present inventionprovides a new and improved removable guide needle which providesversatility and effectiveness in use by the nurse or attendantadministering the venipuncture for the purpose of either introducing orwithdrawing fluids from the body of the patient.

lclaim;

l. A removable guide needle for use with a flexible catheter inwithdrawing or introducing fluids relative to a bod said needlecomprising a one-piece, elongated, hollow cement into which saidcatheter is inserted, said hollow element having a longitudinalseparation along the length thereof and being formed to permit openingof said hollow element along said longitudinal separation, one end ofsaid hollow element being configured for introduction into said body andthe other end of said hollow element having handle means, said handlemeans including a pair ofintegral wing sections located on oppositesides of the longitudinal separation which are initially juxtaposedrelative to one another with each of said wing sections having agenerally trapezoidal shape, corresponding portions of each wing sectionoverlapping one another and forming a generally rectangular shapedhandle means, the remaining portions of said wing sections beinglongitudinally offset from one another at opposite ends by an amountsufficient to permit initial manual engagement with the offset portionto facilitate separation of said wing sections and consequent opening ofsaid hollow element along said longitudinal separation for lateralremoval and detachment from said catheter, each said wing sectionfurther including a reinforcing protuberance means extendingsubstantially normal in a direction toward the opposite wing section atnoninterfitting angles relative to the opposite protuberance wherebysaid protuberance means space said wing sections from each other toprevent circumferential collapse of said needle means at the positionwhere the handle means are attached to the needle.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein one front and rear surfaceon adjacent trapezoidally shaped wing sections are oppositely inclinedrelative to one another.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each wing sec tionincludes a channel'shaped reinforcing strut extending substantially atan acute angle relative to a line normal to said hollow elongatedelement.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the opening of said needleis facilitated by a scored hinge section which is formed generallyopposite said longitudinal section.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said elongated, hollowelement is formed in one piece from sheet stock material.

1. A removable guide needle for use with a flexible catheter inwithdrawing or introducing fluids relative to a body, said needlecomprising a one-piece, elongated, hollow element into which saidcatheter is inserted, said hollow element having a longitudinalseparation along the length thereof and being formed to permit openingof said hollow element along said longitudinal separation, one end ofsaid hollow element being configured for introduction into said body andthe other end of said hollow element having handle means, said handlemeans including a pair of integral wing sections located on oppositesides of the longitudinal separation which are initially juxtaposedrelative to one another with each of said wing sections having agenerally trapezoidal shape, corresponding portions of each wing sectionoverlapping one another and forming a generally rectangular shapedhandle means, the remaining portions of said wing sections beinglongitudinally offset from one another at opposite ends by an amountsufficient to permit initial manual engagement with the offset portionto facilitate separation of said wing sections and consequent opening ofsaid hollow element along said longitudinal separation for lateralremoval and detachment from said catheter, each said wing sectionfurther including a reinforcing protuberance means extendingsubstantially normal in a direction toward the opposite wing section atnoninterfitting angles relative to the opposite protuberance wherebysaid protuberance means space said wing sections from each other toprevent circumferential collapse of said needle means at the positionwhere the handle means are attached to the needle.
 2. The device as setforth in claim 1 wherein one front and rear surface on adjacenttrapezoidally shaped wing sections are oppositely inclined relative toone another.
 3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each wingsection includes a channel-shaped reinforcing strut extendingsubstantially at an acute angle relative to a line normal to said hollowelongated element.
 4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein theopening of said needle is facilitated by a scored hinge section which isformed generally opposite said longitudinal section.
 5. The device asset forth in claim 1 wherein said elongated, hollow element is formed inone piece from sheet stock material.